A Season in Hell, Sealed with a Kiss - Purity 1137

To see today's photo, go to mt4christ.org or follow me, M.t. Clark, on Facebook or Twitter. Good morning. Today's photo of under the boardwalk of Fowler's Bay Jetty in South Australia comes to us from Dave Bond Photography, as Dave captured another one of his under-the-jetty shots while on the road back on August 29th around 2 PM. Of course, according to his post. Well, it's Saturday of Labor Day weekend, and I share Dave's photo because it reminds me of the Drifters' "Under the Boardwalk," Grease's "Summer Nights," and Brian Highland's "Sealed with a Kiss," because after Monday, although it won't officially be over because the school year starts up, we say goodbye for the summer. And while many pumpkin spice latte-loving Fall Fest fans are welcoming autumn with open arms, I was reminded the other day how much some of us absolutely love summer and how the changing of the seasons can cause some real sadness, even though it might not show on the surface. I try to emphasize that the— I should try to— I try to emphasize the freedom in the Celebrate Freedom Growth group name. It's really something to celebrate each and every day, as each moment that we aren't falling victim to our hurts, habits, and hang-ups is something to take joy in. So while I encourage all of our group members to keep it real when they report in with their weekly check-in, I try to accentuate the positive by asking them to tell me one thing that's good or that they're thankful for in their life. Because our group, our growth group, deals with the real pain and challenges of recovery, we have to be kind, patient, and understanding when someone fails to see anything good in their life. I start each meeting by reminding everyone of the positive direction of our group, and in that we're encouraging us to take— yeah, we're trying to take a positive direction by developing our abilities to quiet ourselves to find a moment's peace when we can pause and not fall into negative thoughts or behaviors. We also practice appreciation, to play quote-unquote games where G is gratitude. What can you, what can you be thankful for right now in this present moment? A is anticipation. What can you look forward to in the future, later today, tomorrow, next week, next year? That's the questions we ask when we're trying to anticipate something, and if you need to, you should probably plan something you can look forward to. M is Memories. What memories do you have that you can reflect on that give you joy? E is Experiences. What activities or experiences can you plan for and do that would give you joy? And S is singing. What songs do you like to sing that give you joy? You know, so that's the acronym G.A.M.E.S. I'm not sure if that was clear. G-A-M-E-S, uh, different ways to build your joy. And then we, uh, we also focus on changing our thinking or taxing— attacking toxic thoughts. We change our emotions by changing what we think about. We can change our life's narrative by focusing on who we are in Christ and how to live a good, pure, and righteous life to find the peace that God has for us. Then we focus on finding joy in one another. We foster a feeling of community and belonging by supporting one another in our walk of faith through life. And finally, uh, we focus on finding joy in God. We encourage the group members to draw close to God, to form a relationship with God through prayer, or just quote-unquote walking and talking with God, where we can honestly say, 'I love you, God.' So with that pep talk and infusion of joy, it's not surprising to have a good deal of humor and laughter at our own expenses as the group reports on some of the chaos that life brings their way. But this last week, as the group reported their check-ins, one of the participants would have— would have what I would say appeared to be a flat affect. Their statements revealed that they were feeling strong emotions, but there was nothing visually present to indicate they were. Heads up, flat affect is a symptom of severe depression, and so it shouldn't be too surprising that this person's words, although said matter-of-factly, expressed real sadness over the changing seasons. Although the summer days didn't seem to be filling them with joy currently, the fact that they were are dealing— the fact that they are dwindling, the summer days, coupled with the fact that this person is in the midst of some major trauma, was causing them to grieve over the changing season and how it is also marked— it also marked another year's passage through life with things changing and people growing older. Their pain was palpable, and it caused me to acknowledge the fact that I had a small idea of what they were going through because I had suffered from similar trauma in my journey through life. And I knew that this summer was entirely different for them as they were walking through a nightmare of loss and transitions. To their credit, this deeply depressed person was carrying on and doing what they needed to, to support themselves and their family as they walked through this season in hell. And they ended their lament by giving thanks for the group's— growth group's support. So as we walk through this 3-day weekend that will mark the end of the summer in many ways, let's be compassionate out there. Let's be quick to listen and slow to speak when we encounter someone who is angry or just flat, and try to consider what they may be going through. Sometimes the best things we can offer troubled or hurt people is just our patience and presence. While we can always share an encouraging word, let's be sure to take a moment to validate what people are saying about what they are feeling before we rush in with advice to fix it. Let's make sure we let others know that they have been heard and understood and contemplate how What they may seem like a small thing for us can be a source of pain to someone else. So as we say goodbye for the summer, let's seal it with the kiss of kindness. Today's Bible verse comes to us from the Quick Scripture Reference, uh, Reference for Counseling by John G. Crews. This morning's meditation verses come from the section on alcohol and drug abuse, and today we have Ephesians 5:15-18, and the Word of God says, be very careful then how you live, not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord's will is. Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit. Today's verses fall under the 9th point of our Counseling Reference Guide's resource section on alcohol and drug abuse, which is— the 9th point is Paul gives us a timely warning and instruction. Today's verses are some of the best practical advice of how to live like a Christian in the Bible. The Apostle Paul's epistles generally begin with greetings, expound upon the truths of Christianity, and end with advice on how to actually live as as a Christian. The advice he gives may seem simple, but when it is carried out and practiced on the path of Christian discipleship, they become spiritual disciplines that keep us in the will of God. Be careful how you live. Live wisely, not unwisely. Make the most of every opportunity, presumably to do good, because the days are evil. Don't be foolish, but understand what the Lord's will is. That's a call for Bible study, guys. While we can know there is a God by the evidence of creation, to know his will, we need to know his word. That's good advice. Finally, don't get drunk. Seriously, it leads to debauchery. So no, uh, so sorry guys and gals, no drunken binges, uh, no matter the circumstances. Instead, we are to be filled with the Spirit. And that's to live in the presence of God continually. We consider God's ways and apply them to our lives. We stay in communication with the Lord and ask Him to guide us. And when we honestly do that, we won't be encouraged to get drunk. We will instead take advantage of every opportunity to do good. So practice what Paul preaches because he provides us with a timely warning and good righteous instruction to live with and for God. As always, I invite all to go to mt4christ.org, where I always share insights from prominent Christian theologians and counselors to assist my brothers and sisters in Christ with their walk. Today we continue sharing from A.W. Pink's The Holy Spirit, and, uh, today's— we're, we're finishing up, uh, the chapter, uh, chapter 22, The Spirit Assuring And, um, the, this topic is "Respective of Care." So if you want to know, be respective of care, uh, or know what, what A.W. Pink's talking about with that phrase, um, go to mt4christ.org and you'll see that resource at the end of today's blog post. Also at the end of today's blog post, you'll see our encouragement to join our Victory Over the Darkness, the Bondage Breaker, Freedom series of discipleship classes via the M.t. for Christ 247 podcast. They're also on our YouTube channel of the same name, M.t. for Christ 247. They are based on the work of Dr. Neil Anderson and the Word of God, and they teach all about who you are in Christ and the spiritual forces of darkness and the way to resolve your personal and spiritual conflicts, and that way is The Steps to Freedom in Christ, which we highly recommend. The process was life transformative for me, and that's why I do the podcast and, and the blog. Although I have to admit, you know, I started the blog after I went into recovery, and that was before The Steps to Freedom in Christ. So, you know, I can't give it all, give all the credit to Steps to Freedom in Christ. Just following the Lord, and that led me to repentance and recovery. And then the fact that I actually had a measure of recovery, I started the M.t. for Christ because I wanted to empty myself of my will and fill it with the Holy Spirit, you know, to be filled with the Lord, you know, empty. It's a play on words for E-M-P-T-Y. I wanted to empty myself, surrender to God's will for my life in every way I could. And little did I know, recovery was sort of, well, it was a huge step, but it was just the beginning of a whole series of other steps. So we take those steps one step at a time and one day at a time. I point to the Steps to Freedom in Christ because I think that might be an escalator. Okay, um, you know, basically I point, you know, I point to the resources I share because I found them to be, uh, to be helpful. Um, basically the books I've shared, the authors that I've shared, um, you know, they, they got good stuff from the word of God. So that's what we do, is try to show people the way, you know, the, the error of our prior ways before Christ and show them what we found helpful as we try to live as a disciple of Jesus Christ. And so, uh, you know, we tell people about how to quiet and build, build their joy in life and to avoid negative mind states, negative behaviors, and to attack those negative thoughts and fill it with the truth of God's word. And the peace that comes from knowing who you are in Christ and walking in it. It's not just an intellectual ascent. We actually have to live, take that practical advice of Paul and apply it to our lives. Might seem real simple to pray, you know, pray without ceasing, or to rejoice continually, always rejoice. Let's do that. Because that's a good thing. Um, so that's it. Uh, although it's Saturday, I have to work, so I'm gonna wrap it up in prayer. Lord God, Heavenly Father, thank you for another day in your kingdom. Lord, we thank you even though we have to work on this Saturday, um, because you're good. And, uh, you know, the job provides for me and my family and, uh, takes care of my needs and most of my ones. And Lord, we, we know that you provide for us continually, and we want to thank you, Lord. We also want to thank you for anyone who's listening or reading this message. We pray for you to bless them, um, in their walk of faith. We pray for them to have a wonderful, wonderful Labor Day weekend, um, to find peace and joy even if they're going through tough times or a season in hell. We know that you're in the midst of it all, and even in the darkest days, we can, we can have a measure of peace and joy when we stay in your presence. So Lord, we just pray for you to go before us today, open our eyes to the things you want us to see, and lead our steps into the way you would have us go. And let us never forget that you're there for us, and we can reach out and talk to you. Lord, we, uh, we thank you, we praise you, we love you. We pray all these things in the mighty name of Jesus. Amen.